S.F. Man Held In Sex Assault On Virginia Boy

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, September 5, 1996

A San Francisco man has been charged in Virginia for sexual assault on a boy under age 12, San Francisco police announced yesterday.

John David Smith -- also known as Derrick Prince -- was indicted Tuesday by a Stafford County, Va., grand jury on 25 criminal counts that include sexual penetration with an inanimate object, aggravated sexual battery and taking indecent sexual liberties with a child.

Stafford County prosecutors said Polhemus infiltrated the 1,200-member child-sex advocacy group, ultimately securing an appointment to its steering committee.

The prosecutors also said Polhemus learned about Smith's relationship with the Stafford County boy at a convention in Seattle. They contend that Smith agreed to provide Polhemus pornographic photos of the child, and the two arranged a rendezvous at a Virginia regional park.

"(Polhemus) agreed to bring a boy from a neighboring county," said White. "Just as (officers) were about to arrest Smith, he pulled a gun. After he was disarmed and handcuffed, they took him to a locked facility. Then it turned out (Smith) had a cuff key and got out of his handcuffs, so they had to put them back on."

The Fairfax police notified San Francisco's police department of the arrest, and Juvenile Division inspectors obtained a consensual warrant from Smith allowing them to search his San Francisco apartment.

"We found two boxes of child pornography, four guns and some pornographic photos of a noncommercial nature (which may have been taken by Smith)," said White.